This ladder is a doubles tennis competition open to all pairing formats: men's, women's and mixed doubles pairs. The object of the ladder is to get as high a ranking as possible by the end of the season. The overall winners will be the pairs at the top of the ladder in each format at the end of the season. As this is a mixed format ladder there will be champions for mixed, men's and women's doubles, reflecting the highest-placed pair in each category. 

All teams start a new ladder season ranked by their combined average Tencap Doubles Rating. Any new teams joining the ladder after the season begins will be placed at the bottom. A team may leave the ladder at any time.

PLAY EXPECTATIONS AND RELEGATIONS

Teams are generally expected to play a minimum of one match every month. There is no maximum number of matches other than what team schedules allow. A team cannot be format champion without having played a minimum of four matches

CHALLENGES & RANKINGS

Teams move up the ladder by challenging higher ranked teams and winning the match. In this case they move immediately above their opponents in the rankings. When a challenging team loses, they stay where they were, and the successful defending team moves up one position. For the final month of the season -- or after final challenges have been made, whichever is earlier -- admin will disable the "bump rule", which means that a successful defender stays where they are, and do not go up one place for a successful defence. 

Teams may challenge any team above them on the ladder a max of five places above. If every team above them is unavailable to receive a normal challenge, a team may challenge the next-highest available team.  To prevent falling foul of the “insufficient play” rule, teams in the top five may challenge down the ladder up to five places.

Teams can have up to two pending outgoing challenges before they can make any more, this includes outgoing challenges that have been accepted but not played.

Teams can have up to three incoming challenges before they cannot accept a new challenge, this includes incoming challenges that have been accepted but not yet played.

Teams must accept a challenge from any "same-format" team unless the above rule applies. Teams receiving challenges from another doubles type may decline the challenge by simply stating "pass" in the WhatsApp group. The team "passing" would then concede the walkover to the challengers and move below them on the ladder. 

Teams should respond to a challenge within 48 hours. Failure to respond within a week may result in a walkover win for the challenging team, however the challenged players must have been tagged using the @ function in WhatsApp and directly messaged by the challenging players as well. 

In the case where teams have played before, a team may not challenge another team until a full calendar month has passed from the most recent match date played. 

ARRANGING MATCHES

Every doubles team has a captain designated in the Tencap platform, and it is the captain's responsibility to be sure that both players from their team are fully available to play an agreed match date. It is expected that the challenging team should start the discussion regarding possible match dates with the team they have challenged and offer three dates and times to play. The defending team should offer three dates and times to play in return, if none of the original slots offered can work. Once a date and time is agreed, the team that suggested the accepted date and time should book the court, unless otherwise agreed.  

UNPLAYED CHALLENGE PENALTY

The ladder admin team will contact both teams for any challenge that remains unplayed one month after being accepted to establish if the match is scheduled with a date, or if there is any issue that requires the challenge to be cancelled -- or a walkover awarded -- in line with ladder rules. If upon contact the teams do not have a date agreed to play within the coming six weeks, the challenge will simply be cancelled and both teams will fall 5 places on the ladder. Please remember that players may contact the admin team at any time to request a walkover or cancellation if a match date simply cannot be agreed, in line with ladder rules.

POSTING CHALLENGES & MATCH RESULTS

Challenges are to be posted and accepted on the Littleton Doubles Ladder WhatsApp group. After being confirmed in the group, teams should use using direct message after that to discuss and set an agreeable time for the match to take place. Don't negotiate the entire match in the WhatsApp group after the initial challenge is extended and accepted. Banter and chat is not allowed in the WhatsApp group, to respect all other users of the group.

Results may be entered directly into the Tencap Doubles Ladder "Schedule & Results" section by either team (the system obliges the opponent to "verify" the results before the system updates). Results may also be sent to event Captains for entry on players' behalf.

INJURY AND ABSENCE

Any player who is injured or unable to play for a prolonged period of time (generally more than a month) may request to join the Subs Bench. While on the Subs Bench the affected doubles teams move to the bottom of the ladder, and all existing challenges (incoming and outgoing) are awarded as "no score" walkovers to the opposition (this has no impact on Tencap ratings). The team returns to the ladder six places below where they were when they joined the bench.

WALKOVERS 

A Walkover is defined as awarding one a no-score win to the team that is awarded a walkover. When submitting results, please ensure to enter your results carefully, and be sure to submit walkovers using the "walkover" functionality in Tencap. No score should be entered.

If the team being challenged is being awarded the walkover, they move up one place on the ladder. The challenger stays in their original position.

If the team who has issued the challenge is being awarded the walkover, the team they challenged moves below them on the ladder and everyone else moves up one place as a result, including the team that issued the challenge. 

A team may claim a walkover win if they are unable to arrange a match at any time with another team, due to the opponents being unable to play, including an injury that occurs after a challenge is accepted, or if a team leaves the ladder after a challenge is accepted. To be able to claim a walkover, the challengers must have offered at least three dates and times to play on, and the opponents must have declined these, and not offered three alternative dates and times. If both teams have suggested three dates and times then no walkover can be claimed. 

If a match has been arranged and one player fails to turn up on the arranged date, the other team may claim a walkover. If a player is not on court within 20 minutes of the agreed start time, a walkover may be claimed by their opponents. 

A walkover may be claimed if a match cancelled with less than 24 hours' notice. If match dates have been arranged and agreed and then subsequently cancelled twice by the same team, then the opposition may claim a walkover.

Any disputed walkover will be decided by the event captains. Captains' decisions on all ladder matters are final.

IN MATCHES

Standard rules of tennis will apply. Full tennis rules can be found here – https://www.itftennis.com/en/about-us/governance/rules-and-regulations/

It is the responsibility of the Challengers to tennis balls of an appropriate quality for each match.

If a player is not able to call a shot out with 100% certainty, then it is deemed to be in and must be played, ‘lets’ can be played when mutually agreed.

All matches will be over two sets of standard tennis, first to 6 (with 2 clear games), tie break at 6 all, and a third set of a Championship Tie-Break.

Championship Tie-Break is first to 10 point by 2 clear points or by something like 13-15 if you go over. Championship Tie-Break wins should be entered into Tencap as a 1-0 win in the third set (the system will prompt you for the tie break score when it sees a 1-0 result). 

Teams can by mutual agreement play a third full set to decide the winner, but this must be agreed before the match has started.

SPORTING CONDUCT

Players are requested to always play in a sporting and fair manner. Treat your opponent with respect. 

Remember tennis reveals character, please play accordingly.

This is not Wimbledon. You are not Swiatek or Nadal. 

PARTICIPATION AND LOCATION OF PLAY

Tennis Hampshire's Challenge Ladder is open to all Littleton members that are 16 and over.

Matches are generally expected to be played at Littleton Tennis Club, but alternative locations are fine if agreed by mutual consent. 

The captains of Littleton Tennis Club’s  Ladder reserve the right to add/alter the rules and participation as the competition progresses, at any time. All decisions from the captains relating to matters on the ladder, including player participation eligibility, are final.